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How to Get Your Free Credit Report and Score

Every individual with a credit report actually has three credit scores. There are three national credit bureaus or consumer reporting companies, Experian, Equifax and TranUnion, and each bureau has its own database of information making up a number that represents a person’s financial trustworthiness. All three credit bureaus use the same credit scoring method, FICO, which was designed by The Fair Isaac Corporation, but depending on the specific variables, your credit number may be different for each credit reporting company.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of your credit report and your credit score, there are specific rules and guidelines in place for American citizens. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) has made it mandatory for each of the nationwide bureaus to provide you with a free copy or your credit report, upon request, once every year. Also, under federal law, you are entitled to a free report if a company denies you credit, insurance or employment. You have to request a copy of your credit report within 60 days of this happening though, otherwise you will have to pay the applicable credit bureau for a copy.

Americans are not entitled to a free credit score, however, and this is usually obtained as an add-on feature to your report for a fee. It has also always been possible to receive your free credit score by subscribing to one the bureau’s credit report monitoring services or other third party service, but that means you have to sign up for a free trial using a credit card and then cancel before the monthly charges kick in. Fortunately, in 2010 the Wall Street reform bill passed and now you, as a consumer, are entitled to receive your credit score for free if you are denied credit or insurance due to your credit score.

You do not have to contact each credit bureau to order copies of your different reports. Since you have the option of receiving a free copy from each bureau all at the same time or separately, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion have set up a central website, annualcreditreport.com, that you can visit to order your free annual credit report. You can also call 1-877-322-8228 or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

While there are many websites that claim to offer access to free credit reports and scores, annualcreditreport.com is the only legally authorized site. Third party and imposter websites often have hidden fine print and end up costing the customer money without them even knowing it. As already mentioned, sometimes you may have to sign up for a free trial period using a credit card, and if you don’t cancel your subscription before that trial period ends, the company will start taking monthly payments from your credit card. Many of these sites also collect your personal information to sell to other businesses or they try to sell you other products.

Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and their collaborative website, annualcreditreport.com will not email or phone you asking for personal information as some of the imposter sites might. It is important to understand this so you are not subjected to a scam. The information you provide the credit bureaus will always been on your own accord, they will not approach you for personal information.

When requesting a copy of your credit report and score, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth. This is the mandatory information required by all credit reporting companies, but each one may ask you for additional information, like previous addresses or what accounts you have with your bank, to guarantee privacy.

If you request your report online, you should be able to see it right away. When calling or mailing in a request, your credit report will be processed when the credit bureau receives the request and mailed to you within 15 days.

FreeCreditScore.com

Important Websites for All Articles:

FreeCreditScore.com

About Equifax http://www.equifax.com/about_equifax/company_profile/en_us

Experian http://www.experian.com/